The Modern Office Inspired by a Toolbox

The many unused spaces in the city are giving companies the industrial backdrop to create their unique workspaces. They are not only refurbishing the interiors, but also self-designing unique industrial concepts around the way their employees work. The “Toolbox Office” is one inspiring example.

You can create a similar studio space that works for your staff. Start by working with your team to get some designs down on paper. With a decent contractor and some of the most authentic industrial style furniture you can buy online, your office could well be the next inspiring workspace.

Take for instance one the most inspiring self-designed offices this year: StudioFour23, a U.K.-based communications firm. The staff took the idea of a toolbox and conceptualized a rearrangeable workspace that matches the company’s working style. The rest was modern history.

From an old toolbox to a modern modular office

Someone brought a photograph of a vintage toolbox to the first meeting and everything clicked. The different partitions for different tools mirrored the various spaces of different specialist staff roles, each crafting and building a specific part of a working project. It also allowed for some partitions to fold away to become bigger spaces for events, dinners, and exhibitions.

The “toolbox office” proves to be very modular, a modern aspect of interior design. At the same time, its industrial look reflects the history of the building, which was originally a metal workshop.

Keeping the original industrial aesthetics

The original building also came with precious industrial aesthetics that they didn’t need replacing. The metal workshop’s original tall black windows that run all around the perimeter of the office also offer natural lighting and open, unobstructed views. The existing brick walls and piping were left exposed for a convincing vintage backdrop. These are just some of the savings that sum up the advantages of refurbishing an old place.

The concept is in the details

The materials of the toolbox — brass, steel and wood — equally inspired the decor and furnishings of the place. Large oak desks and stack-up stools stand out from the concrete flooring. LED lighting and dimming also help bring out rustic textures of the interior in the evenings. Green plants appear amongst the industrial furniture, like fresh shoots sprouting from old wood.

A workspace by your people, for your people

Self-designed workspaces are getting things right for many companies in the bigger cities. Thanks to the abundance of refurbished spaces such as unused warehouses and lofts, the industrial look is usually the obvious way to go.